[President Richard M. Nixon Welcomes the Apollo 11 Astronauts Aboard Recovery Ship USS Hornet] 1964 - 1974

This image, taken by NASA, captures President Nixon welcoming the Apollo 11 astronauts aboard the USS Hornet. The photograph, with its blues and grays, feels like a carefully constructed stage. I can imagine the photographer, searching for the right angle, trying to capture the weight of the moment. What does it feel like to be on either side of that window? The astronauts are beaming, but there’s also something unsettling about them being quarantined, like specimens. There are a lot of unspoken feelings here: pride, relief, and maybe even a bit of anxiety about the future. Thinking about the process of making a photograph connects to the process of making a painting. Each decision—what to include, what to leave out, how to frame the subject—shapes the story being told. Like a painter mixing colors, the photographer uses light and composition to convey a particular feeling. It makes you wonder about the ongoing dialogue between art and science, and how each field influences the way we see and understand the world.